The eldest princess started to have a fever that very night. After all, she had been kneeling on the cold floor for who knows how long, and even an adult would not be able to withstand such extreme highs and lows in emotions, let alone a child.

Yinzhen only glanced at the newborn prince a few times, and spent the whole night by the side of the eldest princess.

Because of the severity of the illness, the imperial physician was summoned early for consultation, and the fever finally subsided completely by daybreak.

When the eldest princess woke up, she saw Yihua. At first, she looked around with her big eyes for a while, hoping to see the person she wanted to see. Later, it seemed that her memory was being restored, and her face became paler and paler. She tried to hold back her tears, but they still slid down her cheeks.

Yi Hua sighed, took out a handkerchief and gently wiped away the eldest princess's tears: "Why are you crying? Your mother is fine, and your little brother is alright too."

"Really?" The eldest princess was somewhat incredulous. In her nervousness, she grasped Yi Hua's hand, wanting confirmation.

Yi Hua said definitively, "When has your stepmother ever lied to you?"

"Then...then I didn't..." The eldest princess suddenly felt a glimmer of hope.

Yihua continued, "Your father's words are law; the purse only contains mosquito-repelling herbs."

The eldest princess was still young, and upon hearing this, she burst into tears, as if she had finally unloaded some burden.

"My dear princess, today your mother will teach you that relationships between people are based on fate." Yi Hua couldn't bear to see the little girl suffer so much, so she comforted her, "Just like Hong Fen, he had no kinship with us, so he died at birth."

The eldest princess nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

“Similarly, not all blood ties are destined. Some people have a deeper connection and stay together, while others have a shallower connection and remain strangers. This cannot be forced.” After saying this, Yi Hua added, “You may not understand what I’m saying now, but when you feel uncomfortable, you can think more about what I’ve said today. In time, you will understand.”

"By the way, Granny Bao has an emergency at home and can't come back to serve you for a while. The palace will bestow another nanny to take care of you today." Yi Hua had stayed up all night and had a bit of a headache. Seeing that the girl's mood was relatively stable, she returned to the main courtyard after explaining the situation.

Honghui is practicing calligraphy in the study. He is a self-disciplined child. Since he started learning calligraphy, he has completed several pieces of calligraphy every day with high quality and quantity, without needing adults to urge him.

In the words of a past life, this child knows how to take care of himself and is so worry-free.

Yihua asked, "How long has it been for you to write, brother?"

The one who answered was Qian Ping, the eunuch beside Honghui: "Reporting to the Princess Consort, this is the third one."

"Okay, after I finish writing this, I'll coax the prince to run around a bit before he memorizes his lessons. I'm going to take a nap now."

Honghui noticed that Yihua had returned. His big eyes sparkled, and he moved his hand, clearly wanting to run over and give her a hug.

But he quickly came to his senses, gave Yi Hua a big smile, and then went back to practicing his calligraphy.

Yi Hua nodded, removed her hairpins and ornaments, and fell asleep as soon as her hair touched the pillow.

******

When Yi Hua woke up, she heard Hong Hui's childish voice. After listening carefully, she realized it was an imperial poem.

Yinzhen would teach him a sentence, and Honghui would recite it. Before long, Honghui remembered it perfectly.

Yi Hua dressed herself neatly and went out, only to find that it was getting dark. She ended up sleeping until night.

The two children, one big and one small, stopped teaching. Honghui ran over and hugged Yihua's leg, raised his head slightly, and called out in a soft voice, "Mother."

Honghui hasn't spoken to his mother for two days and misses her terribly.

Feeling her son's affection, Yi-hua wrapped her arms around Hong-hui and kissed his forehead.

"You didn't even call me when you came back." Yi Hua saw that Yinzhen had already changed into his everyday clothes, so she knew that he must have returned a long time ago.

Seeing that Yihua looked relaxed, Yinzhen knew she had rested well: "You worked hard yesterday, Consort. If you still haven't woken up, I'll have to go and wake you myself. After all, if you sleep past this time, you won't be able to sleep at night."

Granny Chen gestured for the eunuchs to serve the dishes. Smelling the aroma, Yi Hua seemed to hear her stomach rumble.

Meeting Honghui's big eyes, the little boy leaned against Yihua's belly and listened carefully: "Mother, it's calling."

Yihua pinched Honghui's cheek and said, "You really are my good son."

Yinzhen laughed, his voice hearty, sweeping away yesterday's gloom.

Su Peisheng, who was guarding the door, completely relaxed when he heard his master's voice.

It was thanks to the Fujin (principal wife) and Prince Honghui that the master's face, which had been long all day, brightened up as soon as he arrived at the main courtyard.

After dinner, Yi Hua rubbed her stomach comfortably; she felt a little stuffed.

Yinzhen tapped Yihua's nose: "You're not as worry-free as Honghui. You used so much tonight, be careful of indigestion."

Yi Hua didn't care. What was this? In her past life, she could have another bowl of spicy hot pot at midnight.

"Was Grandpa just teaching Honghui to recite poetry?" Yihua asked.

Yinzhen nodded: "Today, Your Highness presented the news of the birth of the Third Prince to the Emperor. In his joy, Father Emperor somehow thought of Honghui and asked that after the morning court tomorrow, he should take Honghui to the palace so that Father Emperor can test Honghui's studies."

"He's only four years old!" Yi Hua couldn't help but retort. A four-year-old who could recite the entire poem "Goose, Goose, Goose" and speak a few sentences in a foreign language that mixed Chinese and English was already considered a bright little genius. In the Qing Dynasty, he could actually be tested on his studies by his elders!

Yinzhen played with Yihua's fingers: "You said he's only four years old. Father Emperor just had a whim. As long as Honghui doesn't perform too badly, there won't be a problem. As for Honghui's performance, you don't lack confidence, do you?"

“How could that be? Honghui remembers things quickly and accurately, has a sharp mind, and his own insights are extremely rare for someone his age.” Yihua retorted to Yinzhen, listing Honghui’s strengths in detail.

Yinzhen couldn't help but laugh: "Look, look, you're the one who's worried, and you're the one who's not worried either."

Yi Hua and Yin Zhen exchanged a glance: "So, Your Highness, are you cheating beforehand?"

Yinzhen cleared his throat: "It's just a little trick to please Father Emperor. I'm not afraid of something that can be seen through at a glance."

Yihua firmly believed this. When it came to speculating on Kangxi's mind, Yinzhen was definitely one of the best, after all, he was the victor among the nine princes.

Before going to bed, Honghui recited the poem he was going to show to Emperor Kangxi the next day one last time, without a single pause.

After the couple coaxed Honghui to sleep, Yihua noticed that Yinzhen looked relaxed and briefly mentioned Li Shi: "Li Shi's body has been injured. The physician said that she needs to recuperate properly for at least the next three years, otherwise it will affect her lifespan."

"The Third Prince is in good health, he can eat and sleep well, so Your Highness need not worry."

"As for the Wu family, we already have a Song family member in our household who is devoted to Buddhism. If another one were to appear, not only would it damage my reputation, but it would also harm your reputation, Master Yu. Let's confine her to her quarters for now and then slowly teach her a lesson."

Yinzhen already had an idea of ​​how to deal with Lady Wu: "I have my own plans regarding Lady Wu."

Yi Hua was somewhat surprised, but didn't say anything.

She and Yinzhen were husband and wife, and at the same time, Yinzhen was also her master. Yihua was slowly figuring out the appropriate boundaries in their relationship.

Yihua never opposed Yinzhen's decisions, and she also set an example for Honghui, showing him how to get along with his current father and future emperor.